Four Dead in Mexico in Wrench Attack Involving $1.5 Million in BTC

Jonathan Meléndez, part of the Mexican rock band Camilo Séptimo, and his family were killed in one of the worst wrench attacks in Mexican history.

According to official reports from the Mexican State Prosecutor’s Office, Meléndez, his 4-month-pregnant wife, their 3-year-old daughter, their housemaid, and even the family dog were found dead on September 1 in their apartment located in Atizapán.

Meléndez and his wife were found tied at the scene and had gunshot wounds in their heads, like their daughter. The housemaid was found with gunshot wounds in her back.

Local media with access to the investigation linked these crimes to Meléndez’s crypto savings, as he allegedly had $1.5 million worth of bitcoin in a hardware wallet.

Secretary of Security and Citizen Protection of Mexico, Omar Garcia Harfuch, announced the detention of two suspects who allegedly perpetrated the multiple killings less than 12 hours after the crimes over a debt dispute. One suspect, identified as Diego Sebastian “N”, was an associate of Meléndez and used that relationship to gain access to the victim’s home.

The investigation points out that Diego Sebastian “N” and Gerardo “N”, who was promised nearly $120,000 for his collaboration in the crime, were aware of the victim’s crypto holdings and stormed the house seeking the hardware wallet holding the BTC funds.

During the home assault, Melendez would have threatened Diego Sebastian “N” and his accomplice, stressing that there were other people who knew they were there. This would have prompted the attackers to leave no witnesses and proceed to commit multiple crimes.

On Thursday, President Claudia Sheinbaum referred to the case during a press conference, stressing that it was “a very sad, regrettable situation.” “The causes of a dispute that the family had with another family are known; it even appeared in the media, and the families are being supported,” she declared.

The killings come amid a rise in wrench attacks internationally, where even exchange heads and high-profile individuals have been targeted as crypto becomes more popular and starts being adopted by more people for savings and even daily payments. Diego Sebastian “N” and Gerardo “N” face up to 70 years in jail for each victim of first-degree murder.